Getting out more
Jun. 16th, 2006 05:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peterbirksI went to the Fig Tree in Charlotte Street yesterday, which turned out to be a slight mistake. The vegetarian choice was less than I recalled from a brief trip past it the previous week, and with two of the party of four being vegetarian, this could have been a bit of a downer. It seemed to have got even worse when the main vegetarian choice turned out to be "off". Not very intelligent advanced planning from the restaurant there.
However, all was saved by what turned out to be some excellent gnocchi. My own dishes, pan-seared scallops for a starter and beef pie with mashed potatoes and a miniature foie gras "steak' on top was first class. I had the foie gras steak in the Picasso in the Belaggio, but there was too much of it and it was too rich a dish as a result. With a small amount atop a lovely beef in puff pastry, the foie gras was just right.
Service was rather too slow (it was only a Thursday and it wasn't filled to the brim) and it's a bit worrying when you see the waitresses conversing with the kitchen via their mobile phone. However, if they can get that right, then the food is top-notch value at £80 for four including two bottles of sparkling water, two wines, two beers, two courses for all and coffees for all. Oh, and that included the service charge as well.
+++++++++++++++
Today I rocked off to a $3,000 freeroll at the Kensington Roof Garden, courtesy of Virgin. Say what you like about the abysmal software, this was a bloody good show for London-based customers (although one guy made it down from Manchester!). Pommo was there, and with only 16 runners (oncluding Pommo, who had a $100 bounty on his head and couldn't win) there was a $200 overlay.
Given the quality of some of the opposition, I reckon I had more of a $300 overlay, but it wasn't to be and I had to settle for $100 for 5th place.
I find tournaments deeply dissatisfying for some reason, although they are quite fun to play at the time. Part of the problem is that many players these days are either unaware of etiquette or (possibly worse) they are aware of it, but go ahead and break it any way.
We had 2,000 chips each and by level three (blinds now 100-200, 20-minute levels) we were down to 11 players at two tables, and I had about 2700 chips. A very weak player, who had basically limped every pot and then folded to the first sign of aggression, came in for 200, leaving himself with just 6750 chips. Azzi (a regulart at the Vic), sitting on my right, raised to precisely 650, and I found myself looking at AK off. I reckon I have an idea of what is going on here, so I reraise all-in.
At this point the weak player goes into the tank and the player on his right pipes up with "well, you have to call here really, given how few chips you'll have left if you fold".
Well, so much for my fold equity.
He throws in his chips and Azzi, as I expected, folded.
Before weak player turns over his cards I say to the chatter: "you really shouldn't advise a player there". I put the raise in because I knew there was a good chance that he would fold, as he had before, when I wasn't involved".
Weak player then turns over K2 of diamonds and, needless to say, hit the flush.
That bashed me down to about 1800 chips and the blinds were straight up to 150-300.
A few hands later there were 10 players at two tables and I found A9s in the Small blind holding 1350 chips. A competent player raises to 800 from one off the button (or UTG+1). Button folds.
Do I fold, call, or raise all-in?
We'll leave you to think on that one.
Sometime later we are down to five players. The blinds are 300-600 and Azzi has 1,100 chips in UTG+1. As expected, he goes all-in. I am in the small blind with 3,000 chips (average is 6,400-ish) and I see Q9off. Do I fold, call, or reraise all-in (the Big Blind has about 8,000 chips).
I thought about this for about 15 seconds before concluding that the Big Blind has only to put 500 chips into a 2000-chip pot, which is virtually an auto-call. So I folded. To my horror, Big blind showed J3 suited and threw it away. It turned out that Azzi had KJ, but as far as I can see this is irrelevant.
From that point on I was despearately looking for a push-bot opportunity. I defended one mini-raise from the big blind (mainly because I was damned if I was going to let an opponent steal the blinds with a mini raise), but my six-five off managed only to elucidate a flop of JT8.
Next thing I know I have 1700 chips and am under the gun with blinds at 400-800. I auto-push and it gets round to Azzi in the small blind. At this point Chris in the big blind announces to Azzi that "I'm going to call", which made Azzi's fold just that fraction easier. Chris turns over A-J off and the board comes the predictable 2-7-J with a Jack on the turn.
The poker gods did not stay with Azzi and he went out fourth. Eliza (she who astoundingly folded the J-3 suited) had been playing very conservatively, but it seemed to be working. She manoeuvred Chris all-in with AT against her AQ, but the tens promptly appeared and Eliza was crippled. Next thing you know the other real quality player in the field (apart from Azzi), Mike Ellis (another Vic regular) was taking all the chips and the $1100 first prize.
Pictures follow:
From right: Virgin PR guy Ali Masterman, Pommo, and Chris, student who ended up coming second and celebrating that this would pay for his trip to Thailand.
Clockwise from Geoff the laid-back black guy in the hat. Jo (pregnant, Virgin PR), Azzi, Eliza, Jackie (one-time Vic dealer, hoster of poker tournaments, pregnant)
Me and Azzi
Mike Ellis, eventual winner
However, all was saved by what turned out to be some excellent gnocchi. My own dishes, pan-seared scallops for a starter and beef pie with mashed potatoes and a miniature foie gras "steak' on top was first class. I had the foie gras steak in the Picasso in the Belaggio, but there was too much of it and it was too rich a dish as a result. With a small amount atop a lovely beef in puff pastry, the foie gras was just right.
Service was rather too slow (it was only a Thursday and it wasn't filled to the brim) and it's a bit worrying when you see the waitresses conversing with the kitchen via their mobile phone. However, if they can get that right, then the food is top-notch value at £80 for four including two bottles of sparkling water, two wines, two beers, two courses for all and coffees for all. Oh, and that included the service charge as well.
+++++++++++++++
Today I rocked off to a $3,000 freeroll at the Kensington Roof Garden, courtesy of Virgin. Say what you like about the abysmal software, this was a bloody good show for London-based customers (although one guy made it down from Manchester!). Pommo was there, and with only 16 runners (oncluding Pommo, who had a $100 bounty on his head and couldn't win) there was a $200 overlay.
Given the quality of some of the opposition, I reckon I had more of a $300 overlay, but it wasn't to be and I had to settle for $100 for 5th place.
I find tournaments deeply dissatisfying for some reason, although they are quite fun to play at the time. Part of the problem is that many players these days are either unaware of etiquette or (possibly worse) they are aware of it, but go ahead and break it any way.
We had 2,000 chips each and by level three (blinds now 100-200, 20-minute levels) we were down to 11 players at two tables, and I had about 2700 chips. A very weak player, who had basically limped every pot and then folded to the first sign of aggression, came in for 200, leaving himself with just 6750 chips. Azzi (a regulart at the Vic), sitting on my right, raised to precisely 650, and I found myself looking at AK off. I reckon I have an idea of what is going on here, so I reraise all-in.
At this point the weak player goes into the tank and the player on his right pipes up with "well, you have to call here really, given how few chips you'll have left if you fold".
Well, so much for my fold equity.
He throws in his chips and Azzi, as I expected, folded.
Before weak player turns over his cards I say to the chatter: "you really shouldn't advise a player there". I put the raise in because I knew there was a good chance that he would fold, as he had before, when I wasn't involved".
Weak player then turns over K2 of diamonds and, needless to say, hit the flush.
That bashed me down to about 1800 chips and the blinds were straight up to 150-300.
A few hands later there were 10 players at two tables and I found A9s in the Small blind holding 1350 chips. A competent player raises to 800 from one off the button (or UTG+1). Button folds.
Do I fold, call, or raise all-in?
We'll leave you to think on that one.
Sometime later we are down to five players. The blinds are 300-600 and Azzi has 1,100 chips in UTG+1. As expected, he goes all-in. I am in the small blind with 3,000 chips (average is 6,400-ish) and I see Q9off. Do I fold, call, or reraise all-in (the Big Blind has about 8,000 chips).
I thought about this for about 15 seconds before concluding that the Big Blind has only to put 500 chips into a 2000-chip pot, which is virtually an auto-call. So I folded. To my horror, Big blind showed J3 suited and threw it away. It turned out that Azzi had KJ, but as far as I can see this is irrelevant.
From that point on I was despearately looking for a push-bot opportunity. I defended one mini-raise from the big blind (mainly because I was damned if I was going to let an opponent steal the blinds with a mini raise), but my six-five off managed only to elucidate a flop of JT8.
Next thing I know I have 1700 chips and am under the gun with blinds at 400-800. I auto-push and it gets round to Azzi in the small blind. At this point Chris in the big blind announces to Azzi that "I'm going to call", which made Azzi's fold just that fraction easier. Chris turns over A-J off and the board comes the predictable 2-7-J with a Jack on the turn.
The poker gods did not stay with Azzi and he went out fourth. Eliza (she who astoundingly folded the J-3 suited) had been playing very conservatively, but it seemed to be working. She manoeuvred Chris all-in with AT against her AQ, but the tens promptly appeared and Eliza was crippled. Next thing you know the other real quality player in the field (apart from Azzi), Mike Ellis (another Vic regular) was taking all the chips and the $1100 first prize.
Pictures follow:
From right: Virgin PR guy Ali Masterman, Pommo, and Chris, student who ended up coming second and celebrating that this would pay for his trip to Thailand.
Clockwise from Geoff the laid-back black guy in the hat. Jo (pregnant, Virgin PR), Azzi, Eliza, Jackie (one-time Vic dealer, hoster of poker tournaments, pregnant)
Me and Azzi
Mike Ellis, eventual winner
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-16 09:53 pm (UTC)When in Rome :-)
Andy.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-17 09:09 pm (UTC)Actually, given the player concerned, who does happen to edit Poker Europa it didn't occur to me that she wouldn't call.
I had seen Eliza check down a couple of hands earlier and I think that my best play in this particular instance, would have been to flat call. This would have given Eliza odds to call that were irresistible and then we would have checked it down.
Against most other players a flat call by me would be the worst play, because it puts me in a dreaful position where I can either be reraised all-in or I can be out of position on the flop and forced out when a bet goes into a dry side pot. But in this case, it might have worked.
PJ
no subject
Date: 2006-06-17 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-17 09:16 pm (UTC)Let's look at opponent's range. I don't think he would have put the raise in with 22 or 33. He might do it with 44, and probably would with 55 upwards. He probably wouldn't do it with A2s A3s or A4s, but probably would with A5s upwards. Ax off would probably be A8 or better.
Put all those together and your saddlepoint is probably ATs.
Anyway, he turned over JJ and I actually spiked an ace on the river when only an ace would do. I don't think that's ever happened to me in my life in a tournament. That it was against the guy who had advised the other guy to call with his King-Two of diamonds did, I admit, make a fraction more satisfying. But he was naive rather than an angle-shooter, so gloating was not in order.
PJ